Molecular Identification and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiling of Wound Pathogens in Post-Surgical Dogs in South South Nigeria

Antimicrobial resistance in post-surgical wound pathogens is an emerging threat to veterinary surgical patient outcomes and has implications for the broader One Health framework. This study molecularly identifies and characterizes the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacterial isolates recovered from post-surgical wound infections in dogs at veterinary hospitals in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta States, South South Nigeria, between March 2022 and February 2024. Wound swabs were collected from 84 surgically managed dogs with confirmed post-surgical wound infections. Bacterial isolation, identification by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method were performed. Phenotypic confirmation of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production and methicillin resistance was undertaken. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Escherichia coli were the predominant isolates in 34% and 22% of wound infections respectively. Multidrug resistance was detected in 61% of all isolates, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius was confirmed in 17% of staphylococcal isolates. Resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline was near-universal among gram-negative isolates. Susceptibility was highest for amikacin and imipenem. These molecular findings provide critical data on resistance gene distribution and resistance patterns in veterinary surgical wound pathogens in South South Nigeria, informing the need for locally-tailored antimicrobial stewardship protocols and surveillance systems within the regional One Health context. Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, post-surgical infection, wound pathogen, South South Nigeria, methicillin resistance.